Chapter 218
Seeing the elder’s tearful, joy-filled expression, Mu Yuncheng fell silent, utterly baffled.
Wasn’t the ancestor supposed to be dead?
As Mu Qing’s direct descendant and the clan leader of the Wood-type race, Mu Yuncheng had clearly sensed the old tree’s vitality fading completely. But now…
He turned to look at the towering tree behind him. Though its condition was far from ideal, the faint green streaks visible on its trunk were a clear sign that the dying ancient tree had been revived.
Was the ancestor brought back to life? And by that young man in the gray-blue uniform?
“That person just now… he must be Su Ci, the caretaker, right?” Mu Yuncheng said hesitantly.
He had caught a glimpse of the young man’s name tag earlier, which indeed bore the name “Su Ci”—the very person he had come to Prison Star with Mu Bao to find.
No sooner had he spoken than the typically kind and gentle ancestor shot him a sharp glare.
“You brat! That’s the divine being who granted life to our Wood Clan! How dare you be so disrespectful?” the elder scolded, his expression turning stern.
Mu Yuncheng, who had never been called “brat” before, was stunned. Yet the sheer weight of the elder’s words left him no time to feel wronged; his attention was immediately drawn to the new revelation.
“D-Divine being?”
In the technologically advanced interstellar era, the idea of gods existing in reality would be laughed off by most people. But Mu Yuncheng was different.
He knew his ancestor was an ancient tree demon who had lived tens of thousands of years. Mu Qing also possessed mystical abilities, though he rarely used them.
The elder often recounted tales of the past to the younger generation—stories of things that existed only in legends, but which Mu Qing had experienced firsthand.
And now, having just witnessed his ancestor’s revival, Mu Yuncheng found himself instinctively believing in the term “divine being.”
“That’s correct,” Mu Qing said solemnly. “Do you remember the stories I told you when you were young, about how in ancient times, all things could gain sentience?”
Mu Yuncheng nodded.
Of course, he remembered. His ancestor had told him about how, in ancient times, not only animals and plants but even things as large as mountains or as small as a single bead could awaken intelligence and become sentient beings.
As a child, inspired by those fantastical stories, Mu Yuncheng had often dreamed about the sentience of all things.
Unfortunately, after humans and demons left the mother planet, no new sentient beings had emerged. Even their Wood Clan was not immune to this fate—
Once someone reverted to their ancestral form as a tree, there was no chance of becoming sentient or demonic again. Becoming a person once more was entirely out of the question.
This was why Mu Yuncheng was so desperate to prevent his son from reverting to his ancestral form. To him, becoming a tree was no different from dying.
He looked at Mu Qing, listening as the elder continued, “And the divine being… is the Spirit of this land!”
Mu Yuncheng froze in shock once more.
“This… the Spirit of this land?” He looked down at the ground beneath his feet. Did that mean the young man from earlier was… the spirit of this planet?
He finally understood why the ancestor referred to him as “Divine Lord.”
This was their mother planet, the birthplace of all animals and plants. For plants, especially, their roots were deeply embedded in the earth, drawing life from it.
And the spirit of this planet… wouldn’t that make him their divine being?
As this thought flashed through his mind, Mu Yuncheng felt a shiver run through his entire body. At the same time, he realized why he had felt such a sense of familiarity and reverence the moment he saw the young man.
Because—
He was the divine being of their Wood Clan!
Mu Yuncheng finally understood the ancestor’s excitement. But as someone raised in the interstellar era and educated in modern sciences, he couldn’t help but feel a bit out of place.
After a moment of hesitation, he said, “Then… he…”
Under the elder’s sharp gaze, Mu Yuncheng paused and corrected himself. “Then why would the Divine Lord appear at the nursery… as a caretaker?”
His respectful tone finally satisfied Mu Qing.
Stroking his beard thoughtfully, Mu Qing replied, “I once heard from our ancestor’s ancestor that in ancient times, the Divine Lord would often take on different forms and travel the land. This must be one of his incarnations!”
The ancestor’s ancestor…
For a moment, Mu Yuncheng was at a loss for words. After a pause, he asked hesitantly, “The ancient times you’re referring to… just how long ago was that?”
“Why, tens of millions of years ago, of course!” Mu Qing replied matter-of-factly.
Mu Yuncheng couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath.
Tens of millions of years!
“So, you’re saying… the Divine Lord we just met… He’s been alive for at least tens of millions of years?” Mu Yuncheng asked, his voice filled with awe.
“Indeed,” Mu Qing nodded. As he spoke of the Earth Spirit, his eyes sparkled with a youthful glow, making him look much younger in an instant.
Mu Yuncheng was utterly stunned.
His family’s ancestor, who had lived for tens of thousands of years, already seemed like an ancient, fossil-like existence to him. Yet now, he was being told that the young man from earlier…
Was the real ancestor!
Compared to the Divine Lord, even their revered family elder was just a junior! No wonder the ancestor had behaved so reverently in front of Him.
Mu Yuncheng glanced at his white-haired, white-browed ancestor, then at the two young men who had returned to the riverside to continue their barbecue. The whole situation still felt unreal.
“But why does he look so young?” he muttered.
Mu Qing chuckled. “Because the Divine Lord is inherently young.”
After all, over the tens of thousands of years he had wandered the vast universe alongside interstellar humanity, he had learned much about their studies. A planet less than a hundred million years old could easily be considered young.
Mu Yuncheng: “…”
He remained silent for a moment, deciding not to dwell on the topic further. The overwhelming information he had just received would take time to process.
Shifting his focus, Mu Yuncheng instead asked about Mu Qing’s condition.
“I haven’t fully recovered yet, but after receiving the Divine Lord’s blessing, it’s only a matter of time,” Mu Qing said cheerfully.
“By the way, the Divine Lord told me to recover quickly—there’s work waiting for me. I can’t stay and chat with you any longer.”
Mu Qing’s expression turned urgent, but before he left, he gave Mu Yuncheng one final instruction:
“Take Mu Bao to meet the Divine Lord and follow his arrangements for everything.”
“The Divine Lord’s instructions are my will. Whatever he asks of you, you must not refuse!”
With that, Mu Qing’s ethereal figure gradually faded and disappeared.
Mu Yuncheng stood frozen, snapping back to reality only when he felt a tug on his sleeve. Looking down, he saw Mu Bao sitting in his hover wheelchair, gazing up at him.
The boy had overheard everything he and the ancestor had discussed.
Though he was still young and couldn’t fully grasp the conversation, he understood two key points: the ancestor wanted them to obey the Divine Lord, and the Divine Lord was the uncle who had just saved the ancestor.
Mu Yuncheng took a deep breath, deciding to take things one step at a time. Since the ancestor was now safe, the priority was treating Mu Bao’s condition.
At that moment, he noticed a spaceship approaching from the direction of Base 24.
It was no surprise. Their own ship, along with the dramatic scene of Mu Qing manifesting his original form and rooting into the earth, would not have escaped the notice of those at Base 24. Mu Yuncheng would need to meet with them to explain.
He was about to head toward the incoming ship with Mu Bao when the ancestor’s voice echoed in his ears once again—this time tinged with anger.
“One more thing! We must clear Prison Star’s name!”
“This planet is our mother planet, the origin of interstellar humanity. It’s absolutely unacceptable for it to be used as a prison planet and for it to bear the name ‘Prison Star’!”
“Once you’ve consulted the Divine Lord, make it your mission to let everyone know that this is our mother planet!”
After Mu Yuncheng nodded in agreement, Mu Qing’s voice finally faded once more.
At that moment, the people from Base 24 arrived before Mu Yuncheng.
Su Ci’s ongoing transformations of the area surrounding the base had long been well-known since the blood mist was expelled. However, when they saw the towering tree that had suddenly appeared on the plains, the members of Base 24 couldn’t help but be shocked.
Could this be another creation by the caretaker, Su Ci?
Fortunately, they soon spotted Mu Yuncheng and received an explanation from him.
Since Mu Yuncheng was the clan leader of the Wood-type race, the appearance of such a massive tree was easily accepted.
After all, he was an expert in agriculture with a plant-based bloodline and the ability to communicate with plants!
Mu Yuncheng was warmly welcomed and personally received by Zhang Mi, the head of Base 24, as well as the plantation’s management team. They even organized a welcome banquet for him.
Considering he would be staying at Base 24 for some time, Mu Yuncheng didn’t decline the invitation.
However, before leaving for the banquet, he brought his son across the river to meet Su Ci, his heart filled with nervous anticipation.
When Su Ci returned to the riverbank, the younglings followed him back. Their attention was drawn to the towering tree and Mu Yuncheng and his son, abandoning their kites to gather and whisper among themselves.
As Mu Yuncheng and Mu Bao approached, the younglings couldn’t resist gathering around them.
Mu Bao, seeing the younglings coming closer, was no longer as scared as he usually was, likely due to their earlier interaction under the tree. He even gave a shy smile to Lang Ze and Zheng Xing.
Lang Ze returned the smile and began introducing Mu Bao to his friends.
Seeing his son getting along well with the children at the nursery, Mu Yuncheng let out a sigh of relief. But when he turned to Su Ci, his body involuntarily tensed up again.
Among all present, only he fully understood that this was a divine being who had lived for tens of millions of years.
Su Ci, however, did not make things difficult for him. Before Mu Yuncheng arrived, Su Ci had already reviewed the documents and knew about the father and son coming to the nursery.
What he hadn’t expected was the surprise the pair would bring.
He nodded at Mu Yuncheng and said, “You can go now. Mu Bao can stay here.”
Mu Yuncheng didn’t hesitate in the slightest at Su Ci’s instructions, replying immediately, “Of course, I’ll leave him in your care. I’ll be back soon!”
With that, Mu Yuncheng, somewhat clumsy in his nervousness, left the riverbank, fully trusting Su Ci to look after Mu Bao and letting him play with the younglings.
The autumn outing by the river continued without interruption, seemingly unaffected by the earlier events. However, that brief incident sparked a storm across the interstellar regions.
It turned out that, upon returning to absorb the divine energy Su Ci had infused into him, Mu Qing couldn’t contain his joy any longer. He decided he needed to share this incredible news with others!
In the interstellar era, the Wood Clan’s demons had scattered across the galaxy, making communication difficult. Eventually, they developed a new form of demon magic.
By mastering this magic, any high-level Wood Clan demon could transmit messages via telepathic connection.
Thus…
At the same moment, Wood Clan elders rooted in various corners of the galaxy received a message from Mu Qing, who practically shouted through their shared mental link:
“I’ve found the mother planet!”
“The Earth Spirit is alive! He spoke to me and even blessed me!”
“The Earth Spirit wants me to work for him in the future!”
All the Wood Clan demons who received the message were utterly stunned. The more hot-tempered among them almost leapt out of the ground on the spot.
What?! Mu Qing actually returned to the mother planet?!
And that old geezer even managed to speak with the Earth Spirit?! Not only that, but he received a blessing?! And now he gets to stay by the Earth Spirit’s side?!
The collective response of the Wood Clan demons: “AAAAHHHHH! Jealousy is making me shapeshift.gif!”
